Chapter 107 Jeong Yoo shin, The Unlucky Man
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Translator: JayM
Chapter: 107
Chapter Title: Jeong Yoo-shin, The Unlucky Man
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Barbarians.
He couldn’t understand them at all.
They had suddenly appeared, urged him to have sex, and now they were asking him to find them “holes.”
‘Lunatics.’
Why were they doing this?
A society needed basic decency and laws for people to coexist and for civilization to flourish, but those crazy barbarians seemed to have none of that.
They seemed to think only about sticking their dicks in any hole they saw.
Perhaps that was why they were called savages.
Were they really allowed to act so recklessly in the city?
Jeong Yoo-shin scowled.
“Are they insane? They’re basically saying that they’ll control the crowds in exchange for human sacrifices. Are you just going to allow this?”
Ursula ran a hand through her hair.
“Because they’re strong. You should know that better than anyone else. He broke an intermediate-rank explorer’s sword with a flick of his finger. Don’t you get it? Who in the city would risk their lives to drive them out?”
“I know they’re strong. But many people are suffering because of them. If this continues, who would want to stay in the city…?”
Ursula’s expression hardened slightly.
“That’s enough. You’ve just barely reached the edge of intermediate-rank explorer. Don’t dig too deep.”
“I’m actually relieved they’re acting like this.”
Jeong Yoo-shin’s jaw dropped at Ashur’s words.
“…What do you mean?”
“Sigh. You’re an intermediate-rank explorer now, so you should know these things.”
Ashur sighed deeply and continued.
“There are several monster clans in the eastern district. Among them, there’s a large clan called ‘Pandemonium.’ Their goal… You could say they want a world where monsters can live freely.”
“Ashur, you should correct yourself. Aren’t they ‘people’ who received monster imprints?”
Ursula interjected.
“Right. My mistake. I should explain why these clans exist. Let’s see… In the eastern district, there are good monster-people and bad monster-people. Of course, the criteria is whether they are beneficial to humans or not.”
Good monster-people and bad monster-people?
He didn’t understand at all.
“Please explain it simply.”
“Just listen. For example, let’s say there’s a half-human, half-spider monster-person called Arachne. Arachne can spin fine silk, which is a raw material for high-quality fabrics. That’s beneficial. The same goes for the slime monster-people who diligently clean the city sewers.”
“On the other hand, what about Basilisks? They constantly exhale poison. You can’t even look them in the eye because of their petrifying gaze. They live deep underground in the eastern district, never seeing the sunlight.”
As he listened to Ashur, a question came to mind.
“Couldn’t they just remove their imprints?”
“Right. But they don’t have the money. And they have no means to earn money. And would they even want to remove their monster imprints? That’s another issue, so let’s move on.”
“…”
“Do you know what happens to people when they’re treated unfairly and isolated in the darkness?”
“…”
“Resentment builds up. Can they release it? Impossible. Because there are no other ‘monsters’ that they can connect with and share their feelings with. Eventually, they explode. Does it stop there? No. They want to express and show what’s inside their hearts. Because that’s human nature. So, let’s go back to the person with the Basilisk imprint. If you were that Basilisk, you’d have three choices.”
“…”
“Live as you are? Fight for freedom? Or express your anger? Pandemonium is a group that wants to achieve freedom through anger. And the barbarians are involved in this. They’re truly wicked.”
“Could it be…?”
“Right. They might join forces with Pandemonium.”
The more he heard, the more confused he became.
“Wait a minute. So there’s no one who can stop those monster-people in the eastern district? It’s practically a dictatorship.”
“Several people are working together to suppress them. Ingrid and Luke are at the forefront of it all. And there’s Simus, too. But there aren’t many of them overall.”
Ashur paused and sighed deeply.
“Sigh. Moreover, one of the Labyrinth City council members is Lilith, the so-called Monster Queen.”
What?
There was a monster on the Labyrinth City council?
He couldn’t believe it.
“How could those vile creatures hold a seat on the council? It sounds absurd.”
“Skar, watch your mouth.”
Ashur’s eyes turned cold.
“They are ‘people’ with monster imprints. And someone has to control the eastern district. Queen Lilith is relatively moderate.”
“I apologize.”
He realized he had made a mistake. He hadn’t been thinking straight because of the barbarians’ shocking proposal.
‘I’m too agitated. Calm down.’
He calmed himself down and assessed the current situation.
A delicate balance of power existed in Labyrinth City. In the middle of it all, the barbarians were acting recklessly and pushing the boundaries.
He considered the barbarians’ proposal in this context.
Outlaws of Labyrinth City.
Ruthless hole-lovers with no compassion.
They must have had their fill of copulation. It was obvious that their standards were higher than his.
So why would they want “holes” chosen by him in exchange for their services?
“Hmm.”
Had their brains been fried from too much copulation? Perhaps they wanted to experience something new.
He understood.
He had a friend who got excited by watching married women porn.
‘The world is vast, and tastes are diverse?’
Hmm.
Was this just a prank?
They were the type to stick their dicks in anyone, so this could be considered a harmless prank.
But how could it be a prank when it involved human trafficking?
Even if the barbarians considered it a prank, he couldn't take it lightly.
‘What the hell are they doing?’
He had a splitting headache. No matter how hard he thought, he couldn't come up with a reasonable explanation.
If he were stronger, he wouldn’t have to rack his brains like this. He could just crush them all.
Suddenly, Jeong Yoo-shin’s eyes lit up.
Of course.
Culture?
Perhaps there was a unique barbarian culture he wasn’t aware of.
Perhaps there was some special significance attached to a virgin choosing “holes” for them.
It could be a cultural tradition similar to Doljabi, where a baby’s future is predicted based on the object they choose from a selection placed before them.
‘Sigh. I need to be more open-minded.’
There were many cultures in the world. In some cultures, there was a tradition of circumcising baby boys eight days after their birth.
He shouldn’t be surprised even if there were more extreme customs.
‘No. But circumcision is a bit much, isn’t it?’
‘Ugh, my head.’
Jeong Yoo-shin rubbed his temples. There was no need to overthink it.
“Couldn’t we just refuse?”
“We agree.”
“Right.”
Ursula and Sorgin nodded in agreement.
Jeong Yoo-shin slumped in his chair.
“Then what’s the point of this proposal?”
“Since the barbarians specifically asked for you, we came here to see you face-to-face.”
Sorgin replied in a smooth tone.
‘I don’t think that’s it.’
They seemed to be trying to gauge his reaction.
Seriously…
Everyone was trying to test him.
He felt like he was walking on a tightrope right before the festival.
Just then…
Someone gently took his hand. A hand reached out to him from under the table.
Soft and warm.
Mion.
“Skar, don’t worry too much. Even if no one else understands, I understand your heart.”
Mion said with a smile.
Jeong Yoo-shin nodded.
“Thank you.”
Sorgin, the head of the Merchants Guild, stood up.
“Let’s go. We have a lot to do to prepare for the festival.”
“Skar, your explorer license will be ready in a few days, so come back later.”
“See you later.”
“Alright. Take care.”
Everyone said their goodbyes and left the inn except for one person.
Ashur, the head of the Swordsman’s Guild.
“Skar, how are you doing?”
“Busy preparing for the festival.”
“I heard you had another brush with death.”
“I survived thanks to you. I would have been in serious trouble if that deer beast-person hadn’t rescued me in time. But…”
“...How did you know?”
It seemed too coincidental.
“Well, it was a coincidence. That Giant Spider monster-person was a member of our Swordsman’s Guild. I taught him, so I’m responsible for him.”
“…”
“His name was Simon. A human boy from the Southern Lionel Kingdom. About 16 years old? He’d be about your age now.”
“He lived underground in the eastern district and went mad. If he went outside to seek freedom, he would have been hunted down and killed, so he went into the labyrinth. And it just so happened to be when Ingrid was ill. I heard that he went in with a few friends. Some of them died, and Simon was injured, but he somehow made it in.”
“But aren’t monster-people allowed to enter the labyrinth?”
“Yes. Anyone can enter freely. But Simon killed a priest. That’s a serious crime. So I asked my deer friend to hunt him down.”
‘Shit.’
It left a bitter taste in his mouth. But he had no regrets. He would have died if he hadn’t fought. He couldn’t afford to show mercy.
“Still, it was quite a coincidence. For me to run into him in such a vast area…”
Ashur chuckled.
“You always have these brushes with death, don't you? Isn’t it time to admit it?”
“Admit what?”
“My old gut tells me you attract bad luck.”
Jeong Yoo-shin frowned.
Why was he suddenly cursing him?
“Are you going senile?”
“You little…”
Ashur glared at Jeong Yoo-shin and stood up.
“Are you going into the labyrinth right after the festival?”
“Yes.”
“Come see me before you go.”
“Alright. Oh, but…”
Jeong Yoo-shin then explained the Death Reprieve imprint he had obtained.
“…Do you think there’s a chance that the Death Reprieve and Revenger imprints could work together? Like, postponing death with Death Reprieve and then recovering with Revenger to fight again.”
Ashur tilted his head as Jeong Yoo-shin explained animatedly.
“I don’t recall anyone ever having both the Death Reprieve and Revenger imprints. But I’ll look into it, just in case.”
“Thank you, Master.”
“I’ll charge you for it.”
“Master, what’s with the money between us? We’re connected by loyalty, aren’t we? Don’t be like this.”
“One gold coin.”
“Master, you shouldn’t do business like this.”
“You scary bastard. You’re going to make me sound like a miserly elf. Fine, 30 silver coins.”
“Thank you, Master.”
“I’m leaving. Take care.”
“Yes.”
Ashur patted Jeong Yoo-shin on the shoulder and left the inn. Jeong Yoo-shin saw him off and returned. Snout was standing at the counter.
Jeong Yoo-shin approached Snout and put his arm around his shoulder.
“Snout.”
“Yes?”
“Lend me some money.”
“…Alright.”
“Cheer up. I’ll pay you back. It's just that I spent a lot of money preparing for the festival. You know I always keep my promises.”
“Yes, yes.”
“Let’s go. Back to work.”
Jeong Yoo-shin dragged Snout back into the kitchen.
Jeong Yoo-shin and the others worked tirelessly for several days to prepare for the festival.
And then…
The day before the Blue Moon Festival arrived.
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T/N – Lots of stuff here. So the barbarians are basically fishing for benefits, trying to stir the pot so they can have more leeway. Still weird why they want the MC to choose their ‘holes’. Another is ‘Pandemonium’ which seems to be the organization getting puppeteered by the slavers this time. Let’s see how the MC gets mixed into this mess this time. At least Ashur has already seen through the MC’s “luck”.